A truck cover has a harder life than most tarpaulins. It is pulled tight over a load, beaten by wind at highway speed and rubbed against sharp corners, then taken off and put back on again and again. Choosing the right size and grade makes the difference between a cover that lasts and one that tears on its first long trip.
Measure the load, not just the truck
The cover has to go over the load and down both sides, with enough left to tie. Width needed = body width + 2 × load height + a tying margin on each side; length needed = body length + 2 × load height + the same margin.
For example, a body 6.5 m long and 2.5 m wide, loaded 1.5 m high, with 0.5 m left on each side to tie, needs a cover of about 10.5 m × 6.5 m.
Choose a heavy grade
Wind and friction wear a transport cover quickly, so a heavy grade such as 150 or 200 GSM, multilayer and UV-resistant, is the safer choice. See our tarpaulin GSM guide.
Tie it down so it cannot flap
- Tie the cover tight along its reinforced edges, working around the truck so the tension is even.
- Flapping is what wears covers out fastest. A cover that drums in the wind needs another tie.
- Pad sharp corners of the load and the body where the sheet presses on them.
Fleets and transporters
For bulk orders we make tarpaulins in custom sizes, so every truck in a fleet can get a cover cut to its body, and in custom colours if you want covers to be easy to tell apart. Blue and yellow are the most common. More on sizing in how to measure and order tarpaulin.
Our tarpaulins for transport
Our Indoline multilayer tarpaulins are made from bonded layers of mLDPE, LDPE and LLDPE: 100% waterproof, with a UV-resistant coating and reinforced edges, in 90, 120, 150 and 200 GSM, or any GSM from 70 to 200 on orders of 2 tons. Transporters use them as truck and load covers. See our tarpaulin manufacturer in India page.